iOS and Android: Adobe’s mobile version of Lightroom used to require the desktop app and a subscription to Creative Cloud to really work. Not anymore. Now you can use Lightroom on your tablet and phone to edit photos without a subscription.

You don’t even need an Adobe ID to use it. Just download the app, connect it to your photos, and you can start editing them right away. Lightroom Mobile also now includes the Dehaze filter, a camera feature that lets you shoot photos from the app, and additional editing tools.

By nixing the subscription requirement for Adobe Creative Cloud Photography Plan (it’s still an option if you want to sync your edited photos online), Adobe has made Lightroom Mobile more competitive with other popular standalone photo editing apps.

Lightroom is available free now for iOS and Android at the links below.

Cortana, the Microsoft-made personal assistant, is now available for all to download on Google Play. Still sporting a beta tag, Cortana offers most of what Siri or Google Now provides you, with exception that she is powered by Bing, Microsoft’s search platform. When speaking to Cortana, you can ask her to set alarms, get calendar event reminders, and quite a bit more.

Entering text on mobile devices is still considered inconvenient by many; touchscreen keyboards, although much improved over the years, require a lot of attention to hit the right buttons. Voice input is an option, but there are situations where it is not feasible, such as in a noisy environment or during a meeting. Using handwriting as an input method can allow for natural and intuitive input method for text entry which complements typing and speech input methods. However, until recently there have been many languages where enabling this functionality presented significant challenges.

Google Handwriting Input, lets users handwrite text on their Android mobile device as an additional input method for any Android app. Google Handwriting Input supports 82 languages in 20 distinct scripts, and works with both printed and cursive writing input with or without a stylus. Beyond text input, it also provides a fun way to enter hundreds of emojis by drawing them (simply press and hold the ‘enter’ button to switch modes). Google Handwriting Input works with or without an Internet connection.

If, for some reason, you’re looking to run Android apps on a computer, you now have a simple way to pull it off as long as you have the Chrome browser installed. According to Ars Technica, Google has opened its App Runtime for Chrome (ARC) tool to anyone looking to try out Android apps on a computer. ARC works inside the Chrome browser regardless of operating system, so Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS users should all be able to test Android apps on their desktops and laptops.

Amazon has announced it’s largest giveaway bundle ever! Starting December 24th and running until December 26th, Amazon Appstore will offer a number of paid apps and games for free, as part of the largest Free App of the Day bundle ever. The bundle includes apps and games from developers like Halfbrick Studios (Fruit Ninja), Rovio Entertainment (Angry Birds) and SEGA (Sonic the Hedgehog), which range in price from $0.99 to $64.99, all for free—saving customers up to $220.

Most modern smartphones can be turned into portable Wi-Fi hotspot and other devices, such as a laptop computer, can connect to your phone’s network, via USB tethering or Bluetooth tethering and you can share your device’s Internet connection with them. Follow this guide to get tethering set up on your phone.

Android Phones

System Requirements

The following phones and tablets support tethering and portable hotspots:

Galaxy Nexus

Nexus 4

Nexus 5

Nexus 6

Nexus 7 (2013)

Nexus 7 (2013) LTE

Nexus 9

HTC One (2013) Google Play edition

Samsung G S 4 Google Play edition

Sony Z Ultra

Moto G Google Play edition

HTC One (M8) Google Play edition

Android One

I will be discussing the process of tethering on Nexus 5, but the process should be similar on other devices.

Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot

If your carrier plan allows you to use Mobile Hotspot, you will be taken to the settings screen. If you do not have access to Mobile Hotspot on your plan, a message will open telling you how to add it for your particular carrier.

You can choose a new name for the hotspot in the “Network Name” field if you prefer.

This Name (SSID) that you enter is the name of the network that you will connect to with your other devices.

If you want a different password, enter a new one in the “Password” field.

If you don’t want security, choose None under “Security” but it is highly recommended that you set a password to keep unknown devices from using your data.

Use the other device and find the new network name in the list of Wi-Fi options.

iOS Personal Hotspot

To use this feature, enable Personal Hotspot on your cellular data plan. Contact your carrier for information and pricing.

Sharing your cellular data connection

Use the following steps to set up Personal Hotspot:

Tap Settings > Cellular:

Tap Personal Hotspot and turn it on:

After configuring Personal Hotspot, you can directly access the settings from Settings > Personal Hotspot.

Note: If you do not see the option for Personal Hotspot, confirm with your carrier that this feature is supported and your wireless plan is configured for Personal Hotspot. For additional troubleshooting, see this article.

Connecting other devices

You can connect your devices to your iPhone, iPad, or iPad mini in the following ways:

Mac or PC

iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Other Wi-Fidevices

Connection tips

Wi-Fi

✓

✓

✓

Wi-Fi hotspot turns off when no devices are connected. To automatically turn it back on, go to Settings > Personal Hotspot.

Bluetooth

✓

✓

Ensure that the other Bluetooth device is discoverable, and use Settings > Bluetooth to pair.

USB

✓

Connect your iPhone or iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular to your Mac or PC using the USB cable that came with your device.

The Wi-Fi network name or Bluetooth name is your device name. The Wi-Fi network is 802.11g/n capable using WPA2 encryption.iPhone 3GS can share a connection with USB or Bluetooth. iPhone 4 or later, iPad (3rd generation) Wi-Fi + Cellular or later, and iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular can share a connection using Wi-Fi, USB, or Bluetooth.

While devices are connected to Personal Hotspot, the status bar will be blue and will indicate the number of connected users. The maximum number of supported connections may vary depending on your carrier or iPhone model.

You cannot use your Wi-Fi connection for Internet connectivity while other devices are using Wi-Fi for Personal Hotspot. You can share only a cellular data connection; you cannot share a Wi-Fi connection.

Disconnecting devices

You can disconnect users by turning off Personal Hotspot, unplugging your device, or turning off Bluetooth.

Note: Your Wi-Fi password must be at least eight characters long and use ASCII/Unicode characters. Use of non-ASCII characters (Japanese, Russian, Chinese, and so on) will prevent other devices from connecting.